Most Shopify stores don't take months because the code is hard. They take months because decisions drift: the logo isn't final, the product photos arrive in three batches, and nobody owns the shipping rules. Shopify Store Studio exists to take that drift out. Here is the plan we run, day by day, and what we ask of you before day one.
Before day one: the three things we need
A ten-day launch starts before the clock does. We ask for three things in a shared folder, and we don't start the timer until they are there:
- Products in a spreadsheet. Title, price, compare-at price, SKU, variant options (size, colour), weight and a short description. Shopify's CSV template is fine; so is your own sheet if the columns are clear.
- Photos named by SKU. At least one clean image per product, ideally on a consistent background. Naming files by SKU saves a full day of matching.
- Your policies. Shipping zones and rates, return window, and the payment gateway you want. If you're unsure, we'll recommend defaults for Indian D2C, but someone on your side has to say yes.
If a brand arrives with these ready, ten working days is comfortable. If it doesn't, we help assemble them — but we're honest that the clock starts later.
Days 1–2: structure before style
The first two days are about how shoppers will find things, not how the store looks.
We import the catalogue, then design the collection structure: the four to eight ways people actually shop your range. A saree brand shops by fabric, occasion and price band. A toy store shops by age. A shirt brand shops by fit and colour. Getting this right matters more than any hero banner, because it drives navigation, filters and even your URLs for search.
By the end of day 2 you'll see a working store with real products, real collections and default styling. It looks plain. That's deliberate.
Days 3–5: the theme, tuned to your catalogue
We launch on our in-house theme, Bias Cut, and tune it rather than starting from zero. That is where the speed comes from: the fundamentals — accessible navigation, fast product pages, sensible mobile layouts — are already solved and tested on real stores.
Tuning means:
- Applying your brand: colours, type, logo and the tone of the microcopy.
- Choosing a preset as a starting point — everyday, a darker premium look, or festive.
- Building the home page as a set of editable sections, so your team can change banners and featured collections without us.
- Setting up product page templates for each kind of product. A saree page needs large drape images; a shirt page needs swatches front and centre.
The goal isn't a store we can update quickly. It's a store your team can update without us.
Days 6–7: checkout, payments and the boring bits
This is where launches usually slip, so we give it two full days.
- Payment gateway connected and tested with real small transactions, including a refund.
- Shipping zones and rates checked against a few real pin codes, including a remote one.
- Taxes configured with GST in mind, and invoices checked with whoever does your accounts.
- Order notification emails rewritten in your voice, with your support contact.
- Policies, contact page and a clear returns page linked from the footer.
We also place a handful of test orders on a mid-range Android phone over mobile data, because that is how most of your customers will shop.
Days 8–9: speed, search and tracking
With the store complete, we measure it. We look at the home page, a busy collection page and a product page on a throttled mobile connection, and fix what is slow — usually oversized images, a heavy app or a font that blocks rendering.
Then search basics:
- Page titles and descriptions for collections and top products.
- Clean URLs and redirects if you're moving from an older site.
- A sitemap submitted to Google Search Console.
- Analytics and the Meta pixel installed and tested with a real purchase event.
Day 10: launch, together
Launch day is a checklist, not a leap. We remove the password, run through the checkout once more, and stay on call for the first orders. You get a short walkthrough recording of how to add products, change banners and run a sale.
What makes ten days possible
| Slows a launch down | What we do instead |
|---|---|
| Starting a custom theme from scratch | Tune a proven in-house theme |
| Photos and copy arriving in batches | Collect them before the clock starts |
| Deciding shipping rules at the end | Settle policies in week one |
| Five apps for five small features | Build small features into the theme |
And then the app
About a week after the store goes live, the same catalogue can ship as a native app for Android and iOS. Repeat customers reorder faster from a home-screen icon than from a bookmarked tab, and push notifications give festive drops a channel that doesn't depend on ad spend.
If you have your products in a spreadsheet and photos in a folder, you're closer to launch than you think. Tell us what you sell, and we'll reply within 24 hours with a plan and a date.
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